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Reached the level of success that Clemson has in football? Gamecocks have all the puzzle pieces to do it now. Gamecocks have fan support, facilities, money, and conference affiliation to be as successful as any team in the country in my opinion. Let's hear your thoughts what do you say?

Was USC’s season a disappointment? Or were expectations set too high?
December 04, 2018
THE STATE
South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp isn’t one to delve into questions such as this: Was his third season disappointing?
But he is a man who often sums things up succinctly. As he fielded questions about the Gamecocks’ trip to the Belk Bowl, he pointed out something simple: South Carolina is a 7-5 football team, and that’s not what he’d prefer.
This season opened with high expectations. Maybe too high. Plenty of folks saw nine, maybe 10 wins on the schedule, one littered with rebuild jobs.
And yet there were some voices, Las Vegas and several statistical projections, which argued, no, 7½ wins was a better baseline.
At this juncture, USC is at that seven-win mark. It would be hard to argue that’s not a disappointment, considering the offensive pieces available and the coaching staff’s history on defense, but it’s maybe not the disappointment those nine- and 10-win projections would say.
At the outset, the bedrock of the lofty win projections was this: USC would finally get over the four-year Kentucky hump and a set of four rebuilds, plus a changing of the guard with Missouri’s offense would allow the Gamecocks to go 5-1 or 6-0.
Instead, there might have been some underrating of how quickly a power can bounce back with a good coach. USC went 3-3 in those games, with two close losses and three close wins.
▪ Kentucky made the jump many expected USC to, winning nine games and making the Citrus Bowl (would have won 10 if not for a weird Tennessee upset).
▪ Texas A&M went 8-4 in Jimbo Fisher’s first season, which was boosted by a late upset of LSU and holding on late in Columbia.
▪ Florida went from 4-8 to 9-3 and will play in the Peach Bowl, aided by coming back from down 17 against USC.
Had folks expected USC to face four teams of nine-win quality and two more eight-win teams, there might’ve been more caution. (Granted, the Gamecocks had the ability to knock each one down a win.)
South Carolina did grit out a win with a backup QB against a good Missouri team. It managed to snatch close victories against five-win squads Ole Miss and Tennessee.
But even with adjusted expectations, there are a few sticking points.
The best chance at a signature win was in Gainesville, and USC was in great position to do it. That would’ve salvaged eight wins and been a victory against a traditional power that was playing well.
But the Gators scored on their final three drives and USC could neither score nor move the ball.
The other sticking point was the schizophrenic way USC played through the first 5½ games. There were a litany of mistakes against Georgia, Kentucky and in the first half against Texas A&M, and even against Vanderbilt. (The Missouri game was an oddity in itself.)
That’s not to say USC would’ve beaten UK or UGA, but it likely wouldn’t have fallen behind 14-0 in the opening moments at home against the Bulldogs or 24-3 at halftime in Lexington.
That’s to say nothing of the game against the Aggies, when USC shot itself in the foot, went down 16-0 and didn’t have enough to complete the comeback.
So the schedule was harder than expected, but USC also didn’t play that well. The offense took half the season to get going, and by the time it did, injuries ensured the defense, which had its own issues, was in bad shape.
Perhaps history will be kinder, and the lofty expectations will recede as time passes. The three 11-win teams in a row from 2011 were at the time often looked at as a missed chance considering none produced an SEC East title, but that part of it seems to have waned.
In the end, it’s hard not to see 2018 as a disappointment of sorts, but not one quite so severe as the preseason expectations would say.

Do you all think we need an Arcade and Chat Room on the site? Want your input on this. If no one really uses either one. I am thinking about dropping them, one or both. Depending on your feedback. Give me your thoughts ok members? Will leave it up to you. Thanks.................

2018 DB Jonathan Gipson has a fan in Will Muschamp March 7, 2017 Third time at South Carolina Three-star cornerback Jonathan Gipson received a pretty significant message from Muschamp while he was on campus last month for junior day. “I was talking to coach Muschamp and he feels like I’m a good corner, but he thinks I can be the best safety that comes through South Carolina,” Gipson said. “He also made a statement that I’m probably the best player in the 2018 class.” He added, “That means a lot actually, because he recruited a lot of top guys at Florida and everywhere he has been. It means a lot.” Gipson, who’s from Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Ga., is starting to get a feel for the South Carolina campus. “It was wonderful. I arrived there at 10:30. This was my third time there, so I was comfortable with it,” Gipson said of junior day. “But I got there and met Michael (Almond) and caught some punts. I got to work on my punt recover skills. They treated me like I was one already.” South Carolina defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson also spoke with the 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect. “It was good. I think I learned a lot more about the university. Coach T-Rob; he was just telling me how much they have to offer me there, such as my degree I want, an architecture degree,” Gipson said. South Carolina hosted him last summer and again in the fall for the Georgia game. For the second trip, he traveled to Columbia with Jamyest Williams. Gipson said he’s close with the future South Carolina defensive back, and the Gamecocks are very much in the mix for his commitment, which could be announced on July 8, his birthday. “I like South Carolina (and) Auburn the most, in the SEC,” Gipson said. “I love Minnesota and Maryland in the Big 10. In the ACC, North Carolina, I like the feel for them. I like North Carolina a lot and Virginia Tech out of the ACC. There’s more stuff I’ve got to research, though.” Master Teague to return Four-star running back Master Teague III (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) was among the prospects to visit Clemson last weekend for the Tigers’ junior day event. After exiting the visit without an offer, Teague updated Phil Kornblut on where things stand with South Carolina. “I continue to communicate with South Carolina a few times a week. They tell me that I’m still their top guy for 2018,” Teague said. “We are working on and will have a top list of schools in about two weeks.” Teague also told Gavin Oliver of TheClemsonInsider that the Gamecocks will score a return visit later this spring. “I hope to make a decision before my season starts in the fall,” Teague said. “What will be important to me is being able to see that the culture of a program can help me to become a better person and man (spiritually) and athlete. It will be important that the coaches and I feel good with each other. I want to be somewhere I grow in all areas.

Does Will Muschamp really have a better recruiting class than Florida? Jan. 19, 2017 With less than two weeks until National Signing Day, Florida football fans haven’t held back their complaints about the 2017 recruiting class. It appears the Gators won’t sign a 5-star prospect, nor will they finish with a top-10 class. Florida is No. 23 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. But another frustration for fans is seeing former UF coach Will Muschamp have a higher-ranked class at South Carolina, with the Gamecocks coming in at No. 15. This begs the question: Does Muschamp really have a better recruiting class than Jim McElwain? Well, recruiting rankings don’t tell the whole story. Every recruit is worth a certain amount of points in the team rankings. The more commitments you have, the higher your class ranking will be. South Carolina has 23 pledges now, which is eight more than the Gators. Sixteen of the 22 teams ranked ahead of Florida have 19 or more commits. UF has seven 4-star recruits and eight 3-star prospects. South Carolina has five 4-star recruits and 18 3-star prospects. Florida’s average star rating is 88.67, which is higher than the Gamecocks (87.02), Miami (87.75), Tennessee (87.39), Texas A&M (88.14) and three others ranked ahead of the Gators in the team rankings. Lastly, five of South Carolina’s 23 commits had an offer from the Gators. Seven of Florida’s 15 commits held one from the Gamecocks. Muschamp had success in his first season at South Carolina and is doing well on the recruiting trail. However, his 2017 class is not better than Florida’s in terms of quality, even if it’s ranked higher. SECCOUNTRY

SEC’s heaviest, lightest offensive lines this spring March 26, 2016 Arkansas may not feature hefty guard Sebastian Tretola any longer, but the Razorbacks still could be the heaviest offensive line in the SEC in 2016. Based on a roster analysis of all 14 SEC teams, the Razorbacks feature the heaviest offensive line this spring. Almost every team averages more than 300 pounds per offensive linemen, even taking into account non-scholarship roster members who often are smaller. LSU true freshman Donavaughn Campbell, listed at 349 pounds, currently is the heaviest SEC offensive lineman. Can you imagine being a parent to a high school senior that large, and the subsequent grocery store bills? Meanwhile, there are two relative shrimps trying to bang bodies with SEC defensive lines in practice. Harley Whitehouse is listed at 6-foot and 220 pounds at Mizzou. At minimum, he’ll be needed in practice, as the Tigers are lacking scholarship offensive linemen right now following the departure of Malik Cuellar. Ole Miss also features Michael Howard, a lithe 235 pounds at 6-foot-5. These numbers should change once the remainder of the 2016 class enrolls at these schools in the fall. Arkansas and Kentucky also must update their official rosters. It also does not indicate how well these players perform. Still, it’s always fun to marvel at the size of these behemoths. Here are the SEC teams listed by the average weight of their offensive lines as of March.
TEAM AVG. WEIGHT LARGEST HEIGHT WEIGHT
Arkansas 311.7* Klint Harvey 6-6 344
Kentucky 308.9* Cole Mosier 6-6 335
Alabama 307.7 “Shank” Taylor 6-5 345
South Carolina 306.8 D.J. Park 6-4 330
Florida 305.6 David Sharpe 6-6 347
Vanderbilt 305.1 Bailey Granier 6-6 319
LSU 304.9 Donavaughn Campbell 6-5 349
Tennessee 303.8 Charles Mosley 6-4 348
Texas A&M 303.1 Chad Loitz 6-1 325
Mississippi State 302.1 Jamaal Clayborn 6-4 315
Auburn 301.5 Darius James 6-4 332
Ole Miss 293.1 Jordan Sims 6-4 334
Georgia 292.1 Sam Madden 6-6 346
Missouri 285.0 Kevin Pendleton 6-4 315
*Based on returning players 2015 roster (team website not updated for 2016).
SDS

After back-to-back 11-2 seasons, South Carolina has earned the right to be considered an elite team. But that's gone if we lose to UCF. A loss not only would strip us of national prestige and likely drop us considerably in the polls but also would put most of our remaining games into the "toss-up" category. I'm not trying to be doom-and-gloomer, but we all saw our second half against Vandy. We're not the most confident team in the world right now. A victory Saturday on national TV over an undefeated UCF team that's led by a future NFL QB would give us some much-needed swagger heading into a dangerous road-filled October schedule. The bottom line is this game is huge for USC's confidence and national powerhouse image, which we all know can disappear in a flash (see West Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Southern Cal, etc.). For these reasons, I say this is a pivotal game of monster proportions for our program. We need to win it to remain on the national "big boy" stage. What say you?

year? Assuming of course he does not get injured, and I pray that doesn't happen. Connor is just one of those kids that has done everything and more that has been asked of him and I would love to see him leave with some records.

I think it helps UNC a little bit. Gives their arms an extra day. They've looked worn out the first two games. Maybe South Carolina is just a better hitting team than we've given them credit for all year but UNC's arms look tired to me.
That being said, UNC has more quality arms that they can go to in an effort to find someone feeling good. If the game started and it had to stop and start all day one day or over the course of two days, it would benefit UNC because South Carolina only has three guys it wants to pitch in Game 3. The fact that it was delayed helps UNC rest. The fact that the game will be able to be played straight through helps USC.

Does anyone agree with Saban on the 9-game schedule? Sure, it is easy for him to promote it, b/c he has the elite program right now, and their rival is a conference game.
Even though we have moved our way up the SEC ladder, i still agree with 8 SEC games, mainly due to our rival being OOC. Sure, another huge SEC showdown is a great ticket, but i like the way our schedule format has been lately: Clem, another BCS conference opponent, and 2 cupcakes (with one coming before the Clem game). Also, this may not be a huge deal to some, but another conference game would probably cost an extra $25-30 more for that particular ticket, when compared to playing another OOC team.
Of course, $$ will win out in the end and we'll play 9 SEC games in the near future. It will be interesting though, if that extra SEC game knocks 1-2 teams out of bowl contention each year and the conference doesn't fill it tie-ins.
Just some food for thought..... what are some other opinions?